Jesus came to set the prisoners free (Are you feeling chained down?)

“...he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken, And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened.”  Acts 16:24b-26

Sometimes we are in situations of crisis that make us feel like we are prisoners.  We may be in a place where we feel "stuck"and it seems "dark", but our spirits still can be free.

 In the book of Acts, Paul and Silas had been and put in chains and were stuck in a dark dungeon.  They hadn't done anything wrong and yet they were being beaten and mistreated.  They were now in a place that  limited their contact with others, as well as their mobility. 

How hard it must have been to not give into discouragement. They had been  obeying the Lord and sharing the good news of Jesus with others and even released a girl from a evil spirit.  Their payment was rejection, beating and imprisonment.  

Have you ever felt that way?  You are doing all the right things and then, Bam! you are hit with an unexpected trial. When this happens to me, I often fall into the trap of feeling discouraged.

But Paul and Silas didn't let this road block keep them down;instead they starting praying and singing to the Lord.  They knew where to put their focus; back on God. 

As they praised the Lord, an amazing thing happened!  The earth quaked, the prison doors were opened and all the prisoners’ chains fell off.  The jailer was distraught and would have killed himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped, but Paul told the jailer that everyone was still there.  This made an opening for Paul and Silas to share the gospel with the jailer and his family.  The whole family repented and were saved.

Something else that stood out to me when I read this passage in Acts 16, was that “the prisoners were listening.”  There were other people imprisoned too.  Those prisoners heard the faith and hope of Paul and Silas’s through their prayers and praise songs. The Bible doesn't tell us, but  I wonder  if any of those prisoners listening to Paul and Silas became believers too.  What I do know though, is that the prisoners heard and witnessed the power of Paul and Silas's God.

This passage in Acts 16, encourages me to remember to pray and praise the Lord when I feel like I am  stuck in a “prison” situation.  God is still doing a work in me and can use me to be a witness of His power to others, even in my weakness.

 At some point in our lives, all of us will probably experience the feeling of being stuck in a trial that seems to continue on, but our spirits don't need to be stuck! Jesus came to set the prisoners free. We can find freedom in praise; for as we praise God, our focus changes. Instead of being pulled down into the darkness of the situation, our spiritual eyes look upwards towards Jesus; He is our light and life. In his presence we experience true freedom!

(Oh Lord Jesus, you are the One that sets us free.  I pray that no matter the struggles we are going through today, may we turn our eyes to you and lift you up in praise.  Lord, lift us out of any dark pit; change our focus and may we see your marvelous light.  Our hope is in you our Everlasting God. Father, lift us above the challenges we face and may we rejoice in you today.  We pray this in Your name, Lord Jesus.  Amen)